The size of an operating system (OS) is often proportional to the number of applications supported, and the resources it provides. Thus, to accommodate a growing number of applications, and to provide a greater number of resources to a broad audience of users, the average size of an OS has grown over time. As the size of the OS increases, the time taken to boot a system that uses the OS, as well as the memory occupied by the OS and its operations, tends to increase as well. This can lead to decreased consumer satisfaction.